1) Use Space 'Different': "Books" are brand but that doesn't create library customers. Many of those people sit at home, order from Amazon while thinking loving thoughts about the library. What happens in the library space is the key to the library's future: creatively using it.

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People working in libraries, especially librarians, should not be scanning books, sticking labels on spines, or labelling books to put on the self-service Holds pickup shelves. They should not be pulling or shelving books. In 99% of the cases, they shouldn't be cataloging either.

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1a) ARS: I'll talk about compact shelving and automated retrieval system and how they are cheaper to build and use than browseable book shelves. Allows libraries to make more space for the local history gems (long tail) and the popular stuff (head) they need to have out front because it circulates a lot. Interesting numbers from Univ. of Chicago and Univ of Utah.

+

1) Central Sorting - provide central sorting for library systems, deliver materials to libraries "Ready To Shelve." Central sorting operations can sort items into two sets of bins for delivery to each library: one set of materials responsive to Hold requests, and the rest is ready to put on the shelves. This can be done with RFID or bar code systems. I estimate you save 2 minutes/Hold request in the processing and returning by having a central sorting system that does the scanning of the item and automatically printing the Holds slip and placing Holds in a separate bin which is then delivered in "Ready to Shelve" condition to both the requesting library and the library that gets their item back. That means, for every 30 Hold requests, you've saved one hour of staff time. If the sorter costs $700,000 (19 bins), it will take 210,000 holds processed to pay for it (as lender or borrower) ROI = One year? 4 years? depending on your "ILL" stats.

2) Library Sorting - book drops automatically check in books and rough sort to bins. Assume $175K per book drop (2) plus sorter (11 bin, $350K. Total investment: $700,000. Assume a savings of 30 seconds per circulation (no scanning of books required, rough sorted to book carts). If annual circulation is 2 million/year, that would save 1 million minutes or 16,666 hours or $166,666. ROI 4 years.

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3) Buy preprocessed materials - assume 20,000 titles added. One library told me they spend 1 hour processing every new book, 2 hour per A/V item (on average). If that's true, they are spending $200,000 processing new materials (and they already have a lot of preprocessing done). Rather than paying someone $10/item in preprocessing, pay vendors - save on supplies, supervisory costs and workspace needed for that processor you have on staff.

+

4) Buy MARC records. Librarian costs $23/hour. What REALLY needs to be done by local staff that will significantly improve that MARC record? Be very selective about which ones a cataloger touches. Perfect is our enemy.

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2) Convenience - More and More:

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== Use Space 'Different' ==

+

"Books" are brand but that doesn't create library customers. Many of those people sit at home, order from Amazon while thinking loving thoughts about the library. What happens in the library space is the key to the library's future: creatively using it.

−

2a) Everyone does self-check out but not enough are doing self checkin. Talk about how to use automated shelf check in systems to reduce staff work and get books back on the shelves faster and reduce number of interlibrary transfers needed

+

1) ARS: I'll talk about compact shelving and automated retrieval system and how they are cheaper to build and use than browseable book shelves. Allows libraries to make more space for the local history gems (long tail) and the popular stuff (head) they need to have out front because it circulates a lot. Interesting numbers from Univ. of Chicago and Univ of Utah.

−

2b) Home Delivery - stop delivering books here and there and then onto the Holds shelf for patron pick up. Drop them in a bag, slap a label on that puppy and let her go. Better for library staff, MUCH better for patrons. Maybe some of those people who think libraries are very nice but never use them will actually START using them.

3) Games, Gaming and Gamers: create community spaces that teens want to be in, create community, show kids they are welcome, play with them (DDR competition to pay off fines). YouTube full of videos showing people having fun in libraries.

−

Lori

+

== Convenience - More and More ==

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People are busy. Gas is expensive. Time is money. People expect quick, easy, efficient service.

+

+

1) Single Sign On: make sure your users don't have to login in more than once to use library resources. Shibboleth, Kerberos.... Note to other presenters: one of you might want to tackle this in the context of your website work. I can't speak to specifics. I'm also interested in talking about this more broadly. I've been talking more about this idea of a User Registration much like OCLC's organizational registrar. Would it be nice if we could register ourselves and then use that registered public entity to do our online work?

+

+

2) Self Check-In - Everyone does self-check out but not enough are doing self checkin. Talk about how to use automated shelf check in systems to reduce staff work and get books back on the shelves faster and reduce number of interlibrary transfers needed

+

+

3) Home Delivery - stop delivering books here and there and then onto the Holds shelf for patron pick up. Drop them in a bag, slap a label on that puppy and let her go. Better for library staff, MUCH better for patrons. Maybe some of those people who think libraries are very nice but never use them will actually START using them.

+

+

4) Personal Delivery - campus delivery via Segway. With branding! This book is being rushed to you by your library.....

+

+

5) Drive by drop off and drive by pick up. (people with babies in the car, pets, groceries) Allow return items in multiple places (any library, drop boxes at the mall.) Make it easy for people to get in and get out (both those that come into the library and those that don't want to get out of the car)

+

+

6) Bring the library to users. Mobile library buses with public computers (Mountain View), visit the senior centers/communities, schools? Other community centers in neighborhoods with no library (who's not getting served - use GIS maps to figure it out)

+

+

== Taking Control of the Means of Production ==

+

+

1) Open source - examples of open source efforts that have been silently underway including several libraries that have been on Koha for years, gapines.org (that put the issue on the map). These efforts put the control in the hands of the people who will use the end product and who know the patron's needs best.

+

+

2) Core Library Staff: the libraries that are doing great things are doing them with very skilled technical staff: programmers, interface specialists, usability experts. These are all librarian jobs. Find and hire people trained as librarians and technology specialists. Every library needs programmers and high end webmasters. Its no longer optional. IT managers need to be IT professionals not the "accidentals." Ensure that technical staff have the certifications that will ensure they know how to use the tools they are using.

Technology Transformation

The de-clericalization of Library Workers

People working in libraries, especially librarians, should not be scanning books, sticking labels on spines, or labelling books to put on the self-service Holds pickup shelves. They should not be pulling or shelving books. In 99% of the cases, they shouldn't be cataloging either.

1) Central Sorting - provide central sorting for library systems, deliver materials to libraries "Ready To Shelve." Central sorting operations can sort items into two sets of bins for delivery to each library: one set of materials responsive to Hold requests, and the rest is ready to put on the shelves. This can be done with RFID or bar code systems. I estimate you save 2 minutes/Hold request in the processing and returning by having a central sorting system that does the scanning of the item and automatically printing the Holds slip and placing Holds in a separate bin which is then delivered in "Ready to Shelve" condition to both the requesting library and the library that gets their item back. That means, for every 30 Hold requests, you've saved one hour of staff time. If the sorter costs $700,000 (19 bins), it will take 210,000 holds processed to pay for it (as lender or borrower) ROI = One year? 4 years? depending on your "ILL" stats.

2) Library Sorting - book drops automatically check in books and rough sort to bins. Assume $175K per book drop (2) plus sorter (11 bin, $350K. Total investment: $700,000. Assume a savings of 30 seconds per circulation (no scanning of books required, rough sorted to book carts). If annual circulation is 2 million/year, that would save 1 million minutes or 16,666 hours or $166,666. ROI 4 years.

3) Buy preprocessed materials - assume 20,000 titles added. One library told me they spend 1 hour processing every new book, 2 hour per A/V item (on average). If that's true, they are spending $200,000 processing new materials (and they already have a lot of preprocessing done). Rather than paying someone $10/item in preprocessing, pay vendors - save on supplies, supervisory costs and workspace needed for that processor you have on staff.

4) Buy MARC records. Librarian costs $23/hour. What REALLY needs to be done by local staff that will significantly improve that MARC record? Be very selective about which ones a cataloger touches. Perfect is our enemy.

Use Space 'Different'

"Books" are brand but that doesn't create library customers. Many of those people sit at home, order from Amazon while thinking loving thoughts about the library. What happens in the library space is the key to the library's future: creatively using it.

1) ARS: I'll talk about compact shelving and automated retrieval system and how they are cheaper to build and use than browseable book shelves. Allows libraries to make more space for the local history gems (long tail) and the popular stuff (head) they need to have out front because it circulates a lot. Interesting numbers from Univ. of Chicago and Univ of Utah.

3) Games, Gaming and Gamers: create community spaces that teens want to be in, create community, show kids they are welcome, play with them (DDR competition to pay off fines). YouTube full of videos showing people having fun in libraries.

Convenience - More and More

People are busy. Gas is expensive. Time is money. People expect quick, easy, efficient service.

1) Single Sign On: make sure your users don't have to login in more than once to use library resources. Shibboleth, Kerberos.... Note to other presenters: one of you might want to tackle this in the context of your website work. I can't speak to specifics. I'm also interested in talking about this more broadly. I've been talking more about this idea of a User Registration much like OCLC's organizational registrar. Would it be nice if we could register ourselves and then use that registered public entity to do our online work?

2) Self Check-In - Everyone does self-check out but not enough are doing self checkin. Talk about how to use automated shelf check in systems to reduce staff work and get books back on the shelves faster and reduce number of interlibrary transfers needed

3) Home Delivery - stop delivering books here and there and then onto the Holds shelf for patron pick up. Drop them in a bag, slap a label on that puppy and let her go. Better for library staff, MUCH better for patrons. Maybe some of those people who think libraries are very nice but never use them will actually START using them.

4) Personal Delivery - campus delivery via Segway. With branding! This book is being rushed to you by your library.....

5) Drive by drop off and drive by pick up. (people with babies in the car, pets, groceries) Allow return items in multiple places (any library, drop boxes at the mall.) Make it easy for people to get in and get out (both those that come into the library and those that don't want to get out of the car)

6) Bring the library to users. Mobile library buses with public computers (Mountain View), visit the senior centers/communities, schools? Other community centers in neighborhoods with no library (who's not getting served - use GIS maps to figure it out)

Taking Control of the Means of Production

1) Open source - examples of open source efforts that have been silently underway including several libraries that have been on Koha for years, gapines.org (that put the issue on the map). These efforts put the control in the hands of the people who will use the end product and who know the patron's needs best.

2) Core Library Staff: the libraries that are doing great things are doing them with very skilled technical staff: programmers, interface specialists, usability experts. These are all librarian jobs. Find and hire people trained as librarians and technology specialists. Every library needs programmers and high end webmasters. Its no longer optional. IT managers need to be IT professionals not the "accidentals." Ensure that technical staff have the certifications that will ensure they know how to use the tools they are using.